


The First Cut is the Deepest

by Imcalledzorro



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mac Whump, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:27:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28996713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imcalledzorro/pseuds/Imcalledzorro
Summary: Mac gets injured on a mission
Comments: 10
Kudos: 38





	The First Cut is the Deepest

**Author's Note:**

> So unless a episode needs fixing, I think my stories are going be set when Jack is still alive (although one could postulate that he could still be alive, that would be very classic MacGyver!). I hope you enjoy this, and let me know what you think (even if it's to complain about that episode!) I really appreciate my beta Bkworm4life4! She is amazing. And as always I don't own MacGyver (or else Jack would very much be alive!!!)

“Are you sure of this plan, Hoss?” Jack Dalton asked for the third time.

Angus MacGyver, better known as Mac stifled the urge to face palm, and instead answered calmly, “Yes Jack. We _patiently_ wait here until they have finished planting their bomb, then I go in and disarm it. Riley will arrive to pick up the evidence we need to prosecute the smugglers, and then the three of us can leave here and show up at my house just in time for your birthday feast compliments of Bozer. Now will you calm down?”

“I am calm,” Jack groused. He lowered the binoculars he was using to keep an eye on the hired thugs planting the bomb. “It’s just those ribs are callin’ my name, man. My momma shared her top-secret recipe since she couldn’t come and prepare it herself. She even made Bozer swear on a Bible that he wouldn’t ever breathe a word of that recipe to anyone includin’ me!” Jack shook his head, a fond smile on his face. “I’m ready for those thugs to get outta here so we can go and enjoy a bit of Texas.”

“You’re making me hungry Jack and I don’t even like ribs.” Riley Davis groused over their comms.

Jack shook his head and picked up the binoculars to surveil the area, “Ri, I don’t know where I went wrong with you.”

Mac could practically feel Riley’s eye roll. He and Jack were stretched out on top of a ridge above the warehouse. Mac planned to quietly scramble down the ridge once the thugs were clear, then just like old times, Mac would deactivate the bomb while Jack kept watch on the ridge. Jack had made it clear that he still didn’t like the plan because he couldn’t keep an eye on Mac the whole time. Mac stifled the urge to remind Jack that he was a grown adult and had been doing this job for a while now.

The four hired thugs that had been in the building came jogging out, so Mac guessed that they were about to pull out. “Riley, they look to be packing up. Have you got eyes on them with the drone?” Jack asked coming to the same conclusion as Mac had.

“Yep, Red’s ready to follow them for the next 30 minutes.” Riley responded.

Mac prepared to descend the ridge, “Hopefully we’ll only need a fraction of that time,” he said.

“You said it brother,” Jack agreed as he slipped his sniper rifle out of its pack. “I’ve got your back.” They bumped knuckles and then Mac was quietly scrambling down the ridge, trying not to disturb the terrain as much as possible.

Halfway down Riley came over the comms, “Guys, they have stopped at the end of the road. I assume they want to see their handy work.”

“Why couldn’t they have been confidant scum bags and just left?” Jack groused.

Mac original plan had been to just deactivate the bomb and render it useless. “I guess I can movie it clear of the warehouse and detonate it there. But it won’t be as…”

Jack cut him off, “I doubt that they’ll care as long as it goes boom. Now hurry up. I can smell those ribs on the grill.”

This time Mac did roll his eyes. Trust Jack to oversimplify things. As he navigated his way towards the building he scoped out a good place to put the bomb so that the mercs would still get their show, but the warehouse wouldn’t get damaged. Not paying enough attention to where he was going Mac tripped over a rock, but quickly caught and steadied himself before he could go down. In his ear he could hear Jack snicker at his near fall. As great as it was having Jack to watch his back, it was also a pain, because Jack didn’t miss a thing. He was just about to the side door when Jack gave the go ahead, “Your clear to enter.” Mac held his thumb up so that Jack could see.

Trying the door Mac was surprised to find it unlocked, “I’ve entered.” He relayed over the comms. They hadn’t even tried to hide the bomb. It was on a table near the front of the warehouse. Mac shook his head, the bomb was a mess of wires, which made it so much harder to defuse. Whoever had planted the bomb also did an awful job because they had set it where the bomb wouldn’t do nearly enough damage to efficiently destroy the warehouse. He hated incompetent work, “Located the bomb, but it might take me a bit. It’s a complete mess. I hate it when amateurs do the work.” He knew how disgruntled he sounded, and he couldn’t help it.

“Slowest bomb nerd I know.” Jack said. Mac shook his head and grinned at the familiar saying.

Riley chimed in, “They haven’t moved since they parked, so let me know when you are ready for me.”

“Will do.” Mac said then moved to study the bomb up close. Absent-mindedly he got out his Swiss Army knife and scouted around for anything that might be useful in disarming this stupid thing. Mac poked a few wires to see where the attachments were, when the LED display suddenly blinked on he wasn’t surprised. He had been afraid that they had set it up to remote detonate. “We’re on a time table here guys. A timer just blinked on.”

“How many minutes have you got Mac?” Riley asked.

“It started at ten minutes.” Mac answered as he quickly and carefully started taking the bomb apart.

“I’m headed in.” She stated.

“But,” Mac tried to protest. 

“Jack can keep an eye out for our friends, I’ll bring Red the Rover back then I can be getting the evidence in case we have to make a run for it.”

“Good thinking Ri.” Jack said.

Mac knew the argument was over at that point, so he tuned his friends out and concentrated on deactivating this beast. He had only a second before Jack was asking for him.

“Hey Mac?”

“Hmm?” Mac was focused on the bomb rather than whatever pearl of wisdom his partner had to impart upon him.

“Why do ya have to deactivate the thing? Why can’t ca just pick it up and move it out side?”

“For once that does make sense,” Riley agreed.

Mac nodded in agreement, his hands buried deep into the bombs guts, tracing the wires, “If this was a normal bomb that could possibly be a decent idea, but with this Frankenstein’s monster moving it could set it off, or it could fall apart and trigger an explosion. Honestly, it’s a huge mess, so the best thing I can do it deactivate it and then destroy it.”

“Well then, what are you waiting for? You better get back to it, Hoss.” Jack said.

Rolling his eyes Mac quickly reached for a small wire tucked in the back of the bomb when a burning pain erupted up the wrist that was buried in the bomb. Biting his lip against the pain Mac managed to clip the wire stopping the countdown. He carefully pulled his hand out, and discovered that he had a deep laceration up the middle of his wrist. It looked pretty bad and blood was already welling out from the cut and dripping down his arm and onto the floor. He didn’t have time to mess around with properly doctoring it. Spying an old t-shirt that looked fairly clean, Mac tore it into strips to make a compress to cover the wound. When he placed the pad of his make-shift bandage on the cut he couldn’t help but hiss in pain as he wound the bandage into place.

“What’s going on Mac?” Jack questioned.

“I’m fine.” Mac answered automatically.

“Not what I asked hoss, I know you’re “fine”. I asked what was going on.” Sometimes Mac hated how Jack could read him like a book.

“I just cut myself a little bit, but the timer has stopped for now. I’m going on the assumption that if there isn’t an explosion in a bit that they’ll either come back or have another way to detonate the explosives.” Jack didn’t reply so Mac figured the subject was dropped

Mac flexed his fingers. Moving them hurt his wrist quite a bit, but they still worked, and he didn’t really have much of a choice in the matter. He turned back to the bomb to finish defusing it in such a way that he could easily reactivate it after he moved it outside. He was just about finished when he heard the door open and Riley call out, “Mac?”

“Over here,” he shouted not taking his eyes off the bomb. Once he finished detaching the last piece of wire he straightened up and met Riley, who had walked up behind him.

“Mac!” Riley exclaimed upon seeing him, gesturing at his arm. He glanced down and only then realized that his bandaged was soaked in blood. He turned off his comm, so that he wouldn’t worry Jack and gestured for Riley to do the same. With a roll of her eyes she also turned her comms off. “That doesn’t look like a _scratch_ to me. Let me bandage it again.”

Mac waved her off, “It’s not that bad, but I have to keep moving my hand which is making it bleed more. I’ll be fine.” He slipped off the old blood-soaked bandage, then made and retied another one on his arm.

“At least let me help with the bomb.” Riley offered, the worry plain on her face.

“Unless you know how to re-start the bomb there isn’t much you can do except locate the evidence and get it loaded into the van.” Mac stated. “And don’t tell Jack, you know how he gets.”

Riley looked ready to argue, but a quick glance at her watch forestalled any arguments, “Fine, but you get to deal with Jack when this is over, so hurry up so we can get outta here and get your wrist the medical attention it obviously needs.”

With a nod Mac turned his comm back on and started the process of moving the bomb outside. He could hear Riley in the back of the warehouse moving files into the van. The throbbing from his wrist was only getting worse, despite him trying to keep it as still as possible. He thought back to the ‘day of a 1,000 IEDs” and how badly he had scratched his arm then. Charlie had given him grief for that for the longest time, and just like then the more he moved his arm the more it bleed, and also just like lasttime there wasn’t any time to rest.

Jack’s voice broke through his trip down memory lane, “Down to three minutes kids.”

“Any sign of our bad guys?” Mac asked.

“Not that I’ve seen, but I would still hurry it up.”

Mac had just got the bomb out there, but it would take a few more minutes to get it back together, then he had to add a few more minutes to allow time for them to leave. A dizzy spell washed over him. He slammed his eyes shut, sweat trickling down his forehead, despite the cool day. ‘ _I can finish this_ ,’ Mac thought. _‘Mind over matter, just about finished.’_

“Warehouse is clear,” Riley reported in. “I’m in the van and waiting.”

“I’ve only got to connect a few more things then I’ll be done,” Mac said. To his ear it sounded like he might have slurred a few words, but his hands were still steady, and that was all that mattered right now. ‘ _Just a few more Mac, you can do this._ ’ This time the voice in his head sounded suspiciously like Jack.

“Hoss, you doing OK?” Jack asked concern clear in his voice.

“Done!’ Mac announced, as he reset the timer for three minutes. That should give them enough time to get to the van, but not arouse the suspicion of their new friends. Mac had only made it a few steps when the world did that sickening spinning thing again, and black dots clouded his vision. ‘ _So maybe three minutes wouldn’t be enough’_ Mac thought as he fought to stay upright.

An arm circled around his back and a voice, which sounded like it came from a great distance said, “I’ve got you Bud.” Mac would have sagged in relief, but all of his energy was spent keeping himself up-right and more or less stumbling towards the van.

“Do ya need me to carry you?” Jack questioned, as Mac stumbled, again.

Mac started to shake his head, but quickly realized that if he did, it would most certainly send him to the ground. Then Jack would have to pick him up and carry him like a baby. “I’m…okay.”

Jack chuckled darkly, “You’re anything but okay.” By this time, they could see the van. “Almost there, Bud, just a few more steps.”

His vision had tunneled, and it took every last ounce of energy he had left just to put one foot in front of the other, and didn’t leave any for a quippy remark. After what felt like decades they reached the van, and Mac all but fell in with Jack clambering in behind him. “Hit it Riley! We’ve got less than thirty seconds.”

Riley responded by hitting the accelerator and flinging Jack and Mac almost out of the bench seat they were sitting on. The van had just cleared the warehouse when the relocated bomb went off. Riley was still driving fast, but had slowed down to navigate the road. “How’s he doing?” Riley asked, taking a sharp curve.

“He’d be a lot better, if you weren’t trying to make popcorn out of us,” Jack responded, grunting when Riley hit another bump.

Mac was feeling slightly better now that he was sitting and his throbbing wrist was not being made to work. But the bumping and shaking wasn’t doing his vertigo any favors. He kept his eyes closed in an effort to try to keep his lunch down, but feeling Jack manipulate his wrist caused his eyes to fly open from the pain. “Oww!” Mac cried, and tried to pull his arm back towards himself.

“Sorry, Bud.” Jack said without even a hint of apology. “You gave up the right to treat yourself when you didn’t seek treatment for this right away.”

Mac involuntary whined deep in his throat. The blood loss lowering his defenses, “Sorry but I can live without a little blood, but not if a bomb went off.” He hissed again as Jack gently pulled on the sodden bandage, unknotting it. This bandage was just as soaked as the other one had been, but Mac decided not to share that fact with Jack because he knew Jack would hold it against him.

Riley must had seen them in the rearview because she added, “At the warehouse he had to change the bandage. It looked just as soaked as that one.”

Jack gave him one of his patented ‘I’m disappointed in you’ looks. Mac protested, “I haven’t lost that much blood! Some protein and something to get my glucose and iron levels back up, and I’ll should be fine.”

A snort came from Riley’s direction, “Whatever you say Dr. MacGyver.”

Jack peeled the last layer of the bandage off exposing the cut. It was a deep gash about an inch and a half, and still sluggishly seeping blood. Jack sighed, “you know this is how suicidal people cut their arm when they mean business, and you’re going to have to have some stitches.”

‘ _In the back of a moving vehicle?’_ Mac thought, his eye widening and his face betraying his thoughts.

Jack rolled his eyes at the look on Mac’s face and said, “Not right now, but when we got back to the Phoenix in a couple of hours,” Mac let out a little sigh of relief. “But I am going to clean it out and make sure to get that bleeding stopped. If you get any paler somebody might just think you’re a ghost and shoot you up with rock salt. Not to mention I don’t know what was on that rag before you used it as a bandage.” Jack glared at Mac, daring Mac to argue with him.

So, Mac relented, knowing that one, Jack was right, and two that it wasn’t worth it trying to argue with Jack. “Okay sure, play medic to your heart’s content.” But Mac didn’t say anything about not being a smart-ass. Riley let out a laugh, clearly enjoying the drama going on in the backseat.

Jack had pulled the extensive first aid kid he usually carried over while they had been talking and had taken all the supplies that they would need out. Mac held still as Jack poured some peroxide over the cut. Mac let his head thunk against the glass of the window, and started naming all the periodic table in his head, in an effort to distract himself from the awful burning. Jack gently used a gauze pad to wipe away the peroxide and some of the blood that was smeared all over Mac’s hand and arm. “Sorry man,” Jack murmured. Getting a fresh gauze pad Jack repeated the motions, this time pressing down and holding pressure on the wound. It really hurt, and Mac started doing long math in his head because the periodic table wasn’t cutting it anymore. “Seeing if I need to use some of the quick clot or not.”

Mac shook his head vigorously, reigniting the vertigo that he thought he had finally gotten rid of. “No!” He protested. “That stiff stings worse that the peroxide.”

“What did I say earlier, Hombre?” Jack asked deceptively calmly.

“That I don’t get a choice in the matter because I didn’t wuss out.” Mac challenged. Blood loss did wonders for his brain to mouth filter.

Jack merely raised an eyebrow at his young friend, “Now, where did I put the Bactine at? We need to make sure this is good and cleaned out.” Jack knew that Mac hated the stuff because it stung like a thousand bees, despite supposedly having lidocaine in it. Mac understood the threat loud and clear.

“I swear, I didn’t think it was that bad,” Mac protested. With a sigh he let his head thunk back against the window. “ I know when I’ve reached the point where I need help, I’m not the self-sacrificing idiot you seem to think I am.” Mac pulled his head back up looking Jack in the eyes. “I’m sorry that I scared you, but I really will be okay.”

It was Jack’s turn to roll his eyes, “You better be. Now let’s get this wrist re-bandaged.” Jack laid a piece of gauze over the still bleeding cut and tightly wound coban wrap around it. Jack repacked the kit and pulled out a protein bar and a bottle of water. “Eat that and move your wrist as little as possible.

Mac gave Jack a lopsided grin, “Thanks man.” The protein bar was even the type that Mac liked more than Jack did, so he quickly tore off the wrapper using his teeth, and dug in.

Several hours later back at the Phoenix saw Mac cleaned up with several stitches, a new bandage, and he was ready for the big feast that Bozer had promised, but first he had to track down Jack and Riley. He figured they would most likely be waiting in his lab for him like usual, and sure enough he found Jack spinning in a chair and Riley working on her laptop. “Hey guys,” He greet them as he walked in.

Jack looked up, and stopped the spinning of the chair. “It’s about time. I think my stomach is about to eat it’s self.”

“Quit being so dramatic,” Riley said with an eye-roll. “Mac’s out a lot quicker than normal.” She shifted her attention to Mac. “So, what did they say?” While she waited for the reply she started packing up her rig.

“Gave me some fluids, a little pain meds, some antibiotics, and stitched me up. Doc was not impressed when I told her how long it had bled.” Jack shot Mac a look. “Yeah, I know, anyway I’m supposed to take it easy on my right hand for a while to allow it to heal up, so Patti’s given me the week off.”

Jack pumped him arm, “Yes! A week off of work!”

“Patti said to remind you something about a backlog of paperwork that you needed to catch up on?” Mac interjected with a smirk. Riley snickered as she started for the door.

“Oh, come on! That’s not fair.” Jack protested. Then he looked at the two of them, “Well what about ya’ll?”

“What about us?” Riley answered.

“Don’t you have to do paperwork?”

Mac looked at Riley, then to Jack, “Well we get ours done when we’re supposed to, and don’t let it pile up until our boss threatens us.”

“Why are ya’ll so mean to me? It’s my birthday.” Jack pouted as he followed the two out the door.

“Technically your birthday is tomorrow, and we’re not being mean, we’re just telling you the truth.” Mac shot back with a smirk, following Riley down the hallway on their way to Mac’s Jeep in the parking garage.

“Oh no, you are most certainly being mean!” Jack challenged. As he started the Jeep and backed out of Mac’s space he proceeded to list all of the injustices that he perceived Mac and Riley had committed against him. Mac smiled as Jack rambled and relaxed in the passenger’s seat of his Jeep. It was good to be back and he couldn’t wait until Jack got back to the house so he could give Jack his present. It may have been a rough day, but it was ending perfectly.

**Author's Note:**

> Like it? Found a mistake? Let me know!
> 
> And as always a bit of shameless self promotion. This has a little epilogue of sorts (where we get to see Jack' birthday 'party'). It can be found as chapter 2 of 'Love, Lies, & Deception." Which will be up as soon as my beta can get to it! Hope to see you there!


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